ABSTRACT

Fashion is an additive art. Fashion designers create products to be worn or carried on and around (and sometimes within) the body. Through fashion, a body is covered, protected, decorated and transformed in varying degrees, depending on the needs and desires of the wearer. Fashion assists people in determining their physical interface with the world. It aids self-expression and can make life happier and more fulfilling. All these aspects of fashion are relevant regardless of a wearer’s physical ability. Traditionally, the commercial fashion world has focused on a particular wearer type – young, slender, physically attractive according to societal norms, and able to understand the nuances of a product. Retailers who market and sell fashion products tend to focus on this customer since they are in fierce competition for their disposable income and patronage, and the supply chain has been tooled for success with this customer in mind.